Freight-car door



Oct. l2 1926.

W. A. FASS'NACHT FREIGHT CAR. DOOR Filed Sept. 3'

Willidm A Fasnqzvgng! WIT ESS:

Patented Oct. 12, 1926.

N UNITED STATES WILLIAM A. FAssNAcHr, oF GERMAN'rowN, PENNSYLVANIA.

FREIGHT-CAR DOOR.

Application led September 3, 1924. Serial No. 735,679.

This invention relates to doors particularly designed for use in connection with railway freight cars, and an object of the invention is to provide a door structure and means co-operating therewith whereby the door may be easily opened or closed by a single workman.

It is a well known fact that with the present construction of car doors, the doors sag, become impro erly hung and other things interfere wit i the opening and closing of the door. The present invention em bodies in combination with the car door of an operating shaft which is connected by means of legs and pinions to the door structure, whereby the door may be easily opened er closed by a. single workman through the medium of the shaft, and also to provide a structure which will not materially add to the cost of thel car door in that the approved types of door starters, handles and analogous articles now in use on the door, may be eliminated.

Other objects of the invention will appear in the following detail description, and in the, accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a front -elevation of a door constructed in accordance with this invention.

Figure 2 is an edge elevation of the door illustrating the manner of hanging or support-ing it.

Figure 3 is a detail section on the line 3 3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4t is an enlarged detail view illustrating the manner of hanging the door.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the improved door structure comprises in combination with a slidable door 1, suitable upper and lower guiding supports 2 and 3 which are attached in any suitable manner to the car structure proper. The Kupper guiding support or rail 2 has a depending straight portion 4 which engages between the upstanding guide plates 5 which are atr tached to the upper edge of the door 1, as

clearly shown in Figure 2 of the drawings.

Hangers 6 are attached at the lower end of the door 1, one adjacent each corner of the .door and these hangers comprise substantially inverted Ushaped yokes 7 which carry 50 rotatablerollers 8; the rollers 8 travel over the track or guiding support 3. Depending hooks 9 are formed on the yokes 6 and engage over the lower edge of the Vouter depending side of the rail 3, as clearly shown in Figure 4 of the drawings, so as to prevent the door 1 from jumping off the guides during opening or `closing movement of the door. Racks 10 are attached to the door 1 adjacent the upper and lower edges of the door, and they mesh with pinions 11 which are mounted upon an operating shaft 12. The shaft 12 is rotatably supported in suitable bearings 13 which are carried bythe car structure. A ratchet 15 is ke ed or pinned 65 upon the shaft 12 and a substantially T- shaped reversible pawl 14 co-operates therewith. The pawl 14 is carried by ayoke 16 which is rotatable relative to the shaft 12. An operating handle 17 is pivotally carried 70 by the yoke 16 and'is adapted to be moved into vertical position as shown in dotted lines in Figurel of the drawings, for permitting operation of the yoke 16 and pawl 15 for rotating the shaft 12. The racks 10 75 are of suiicient length and project beyond the door 1 sufficient distance to remain always in mesh with the pinions 11, so that when the shaft 12 is rotated, the doo'.1 will be opened or closed, depending upon the direction of rotation of the shaft. j

When the device is inoperative, the handle 17 which is weighted, moves into vertical position, as shown in solid lines in Figure 1 of the drawings.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be apparent that the improved car door attachment will permit the door to be easily opened or closed. and will not in any way interfere with any of the present approved types of attachments used upon car doors.

It is, of course, to be understood, that the invention may be constructed in various other manners and the parts associated in dierent relations, and therefore, I do not desire to be liinited in any manner, except as set lorth in the elailn hereunto appended.

That I claim is:

In a door operating ineens including a r0- tateble shaft, a ratchet keyed to said shaft, a yoke mounted for rotation on seid shaft and having its arms superimposed With the ratchet disposed therebetween, a Substantially T-shaped reversible paWl pivoted between the arms and having its parallel ends operatively associated with said ratchet for rotating the shaft through the medium thereof, and a lever pivotally secured to seid yoke for operation of the latter and being Weighted to assume e Vertical position When not in use` In testimony whereof I eiX my signature.

IVILLIAM A. FASSNACHT 

